For quite a while now, we had been hearing various leaks and rumours pertaining to Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass, with insiders claiming that the console maker is planning to offer some form of ad-supported game streaming tier. Though yet to be officially announced, Microsoft has now unveiled that it is testing “an ad-supported way to stream select games from your library for a limited time.”
Taking to the Xbox Wire blog to make the announcement, ‘Team XBOX’ officially unveiled their first test for this long-rumoured ad-supported game streaming tier, writing:
“Today, we’re starting to test an ad-supported way to stream select games from your library for a limited time, available to XBOX Insiders. During this test period, XBOX Insiders with an XBOX account will be able to stream games they own for free with ads. Players will have one hour session limits across supported devices and regions.”
Speaking on their mentality behind this decision, Microsoft continued, “Advertising has existed in gaming for decades, from in-game placements to free-to-play models. But it hasn’t always been built with the player in mind. When done well, advertising can help lower the cost of access. It creates another way for players to get into games without an upfront streaming purchase and expands audiences through new ways to play. For brands, this only works if showing up here adds to the experience, not takes away from it.”
Seemingly built as an alternative to Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft promises that ads will only appear ‘before’ the session itself begins, meaning players shouldn’t encounter any distractions mid-game. That said, with the 1 hour time limit currently in place, sessions will wind up being interrupted regardless.
Of course, cloud streaming isn’t free for Microsoft, and so it seems they believe having an ad-supported version could bring in additional revenue in its own right, while also hopefully drawing players into the full fat Game Pass experience.
As with other insider programs, Microsoft will be monitoring feedback, and so it will be interesting to see what the final form of this ‘Ad-supported Game Streaming Test’ winds up looking like.
KitGuru says: What do you think of this latest announcement? Does it entice you in any way? Would you rather stream your games using remote play without ads, or cloud streaming with ads? Let us know down below.
The post Microsoft begins testing ad-supported Xbox Cloud Streaming first appeared on KitGuru.Endorfy has unveiled the Solum 2 series, a new generation of USB microphones for recording, streaming, and daily voice communication.
This new lineup includes four distinct models – the Solum 2 Core, Solum 2, Solum 2 Boom Arm, and the flagship Solum 2 Pro. Each microphone features a high-quality condenser capsule, a hidden shock mount, and a detachable metal pop filter. To reduce unwanted noise, Endorfy utilises multi-layer sound damping that isolates the capsule from desk vibrations.
The Solum 2 Core serves as the baseline model for everyday calls, while the standard Solum 2 adds a physical sensitivity control knob. Opting for the Solum 2 Boom Arm bundles the standard Solum 2 microphone with an adjustable desk arm. For advanced recording needs, the Solum 2 Pro supports studio-grade 24bit/192kHz audio resolution alongside integrated live monitoring capabilities. Every model in the series connects via USB-C and works natively out of the box with Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and even PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles.
All models are available starting this month, priced at €59.90 for the Core version, €70.15 for the standard Solum 2, and €81.88 for the Solum 2 with Boom Arm bundle. Lastly, the Solum 2 Pro costs €81.88 on its own.
KitGuru says: Are you looking to upgrade from a headset microphone to a proper condenser mic?
The post Endorfy unveils new Solum 2 USB microphones first appeared on KitGuru.
For roughly a decade now, video game companies have been trying to crack the game streaming code, with various services popping up allowing players to stream their games in real-time through the likes of xCloud, Nvidia’s Geforce Now and Valve’s Steam Link. While the technology has improved with time, streaming remains far inferior to its native counterparts. Even so, Steam users could soon see major upgrades coming to its services, with the new PyroWave video codec said to be coming to the platform.
First discovered late last month in Steam’s coding (by EOZ VR's Brad Lynch), Valve has now officially announced and introduced PyroWave to its Steam Client beta. Described as a “fast/low-latency GPU encoder” based on Vulkan and designed specifically for games, this new codec focuses on offering high-bandwidth, low-latency streaming – two of the biggest drawbacks seen with current streaming set-ups.
It is worth noting that as of right now, PyroWave is primarily intended to be used for local game streaming over ethernet which is likely why the technology is being embraced by Valve / Steam Link; targeting bitrates of roughly 200 megabits a second.
As mentioned, game streaming in today’s day and age is far from perfect, with plenty of issues including macro-blocking, smearing and of course, input latency making for a subpar experience.
While it will likely never take over as the main method of play, it is encouraging to see new innovations and breakthroughs still being made in the streaming side of things.
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KitGuru says: What do you think of game streaming in 2026? Has it become usable? How big of a deal is input latency to you? Let us know down below.
The post Steam Client update introduces new ‘PyroWave’ video codec for low-latency game streaming first appeared on KitGuru.The U.S. Department of Justice has announced the seizure of nearly 400 domains that were illegally streaming live matches from the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Running under “Operation Offsides,” the effort is being led by the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center alongside Homeland Security Investigations, with a seizure warrant filed in the Eastern District of Virginia. The total number of domains taken down to date is roughly five times the amount taken down during the 2022 Qatar tournament, and HSI has warned that the streams can expose viewers to malware and connections capable of stealing financial data.
The 2026 tournament is being co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, giving U.S. authorities firmer jurisdiction than they held when the event was held in Qatar. Investigators traced the streaming infrastructure to servers in Peru and Bulgaria, with supporting takedowns in Croatia, Romania, Poland, and Colombia. FIFA identified the offending domains, and beIN Media Group, NBCUniversal, the Motion Picture Association's Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, UFC, and Warner Bros. all helped supply further information.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division said the seizures reflected the country's duty “as a host nation to protect the FIFA World Cup from criminals.” Domain seizures are a limited tool against operations that rotate addresses and fall back to redundant copies, hence why enforcement bodies suddenly pounce on hundreds of domains at once rather than one at a time.
Authorities have increasingly gone after the people running the streams and, in some cases, their customers. U.S. courts have separately tested the limits of piracy liability, with the Supreme Court ruling that ISPs aren’t liable for their subscribers’ infringement in March. Meanwhile, a Greek court jailed a torrent-site operator for five years last year, and an Irish court ordered Revolut to unmask more than 300 subscribers of a pirate IPTV service in March.
A 2021 Webroot analysis of illegal sports-streaming sites found that 92% carried some form of malicious content, typically delivered through the ad networks that fund the operations. Following the 2024 World Cup, Microsoft Threat Intelligence traced a December 2024 maladvertising campaign that reached nearly 1 million devices back to illegal streaming sites, where redirectors embedded in video frames funneled users through several hops to information stealers such as Lumma and Doenerium hosted on GitHub. Microsoft found the campaign hit both consumer and enterprise machines.
Infections like these often need nothing more than a simple click on a play or unmute button to start the redirect chain, with no download prompt and no need to enter any credentials. Operation Offsides remains active, and the Justice Department said it will continue to pursue the operators behind the seized sites.
Razer has announced the Seiren V3 Pro, a new dynamic microphone featuring dual USB-C and XLR connectivity, as well as 32-bit float recording. Designed for streamers and broadcasters, the microphone integrates an internal audio DSP to process sound independent of the host computer.
The Seiren V3 Pro microphone supports 32-bit float recording when configured through Razer Synapse on Windows, which Razer states captures a wider dynamic range. Internal processing relies on a built-in DSP that handles audio directly on the hardware. This includes an onboard AI noise remover, compressor, limiter, and expander to clean up the signal before it reaches the destination.
Razer equips the peripheral with a 30mm dynamic capsule using a cardioid polar pattern, covering a rated frequency range from 50Hz to 16kHz. Its hybrid design supports both plug-and-play USB-C connections and traditional XLR setups for external audio interfaces.
Physical controls include a top-mounted touch mute button with an LED indicator and a gain dial. A built-in Razer Chroma RGB lighting ring provides visual feedback for gain levels, mute, and peak status, with full customisation managed through Razer Synapse. The device ships with a vibration-dampened adjustable arm mount and is now available for £249.99/$249.99/€289.99.
KitGuru says: Looking to upgrade your microphone? The Seiren V3 Pro might be a good option.
The post Razer announces Seiren V3 Pro dynamic microphone with XLR and USB-C first appeared on KitGuru.
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